S2E4: Tooth and Claw
by BeyondTheClouds777
Summary: ***SEQUEL TO "TOTAL WAR PART 2"*** Hiccup is taken back to Berk to heal from his injuries, leaving the other riders at Dragon's Edge and the Berserkers still at large. When siege is laid on the Edge, it's up to the riders to defend it - without Hiccup's help.
1. Chapter 1

**WARNING: RACE TO THE EDGE SPOILERS!**

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 **And that's over with! Phew! *wipes imaginary sweat off forehead* So, sorry guys! I would have posted this a lot sooner, but I got sick for literally two weeks (I still have a cough I'm trying to get over), and some of my family ended up in the hospital for a few days, so yeah, that wasn't cool, but everyone's feeling better now, so that's great! :D**

 **So, I hope you enjoy Tooth and Claw! :D I'm going to try to _at least_ do one update a day...and this, like the other "episodes", will have about 8 chapters, probably be somewhere around 20,000 words...I don't know, let's see how it works out! :D Love you guys! :D See you next update, and enjoy chapter 1! :D **

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A ship cut through the ocean water, pushing waves up around it. The air was stormy, but not too stormy; it was clear enough to cut through easily, but stormy enough to stall the ships for a few hours.

On the sail of the ship, a black Skrill was painted, and on the deck of the ship, Berserkers marched back and forth.

Dagur stood amongst his men, a deranged, paranoid smile on his face. "Oh, what a glorious morning!" he cheered happily, raising his hands to gesture to the sky above. "A beautiful morning! The perfect morning...for revenge!" His eyes darkened suddenly, and the soldier that had been walking behind him doubled his pace; no one wanted to be anywhere remotely near Dagur when he was in a good mood.

"Ryker and his men may have lost their leader," said Dagur, grinning madly, "but they're still as strong as ever. It's a beautiful day to go after them, wouldn't you say?"

He turned to the nearest Berserker soldier, who quickly nodded and hurried off. Dagur turned back and looked up at the sky with a dramatic sigh.

"Sire…" said Savage quietly.

Dagur frowned and groaned. "What, _what?_ What do you want that is so important you had to spoil the moment?"

Savage flinched and recoiled, but only for a moment. "Sire, the storm has set itself directly over the base of Ryker and his hunters!" cried Savage, quickly coming over to the leader of the Berserkers, still keeping his distance, because the news he brought wasn't pleasant. "Setting a course for their base right now would be...unwise."

"Unwise!" shrieked Dagur. " _Unwise!?"_

Savage gulped. "Sire…"

"FINE!" Dagur snapped, because he wasn't going to let anyone think he was _unwise_ , Thor forbid. "If we can't set a course for Ryker's base...why don't we set a course for the Edge? The dragon riders are still there, wouldn't you say? They haven't... _fled_ like _cowards_ back to Berk by now?"

"I doubt it, sire," said Savage.

"Good!" said Dagur. "Set a course for Dragon's Edge! I'm in a good mood today!"

That was enough to strike terror into Dagur's entire crew, and instantly, the Berserkers began doing as Dagur had demanded, turning the ships away from the storm, away from Ryker's base, towards Dragon's Edge.

...

The sun was bright and warm that morning, and Astrid woke up, feeling better and more refreshed than she had felt in a while. She grabbed her axe from where it leaned against the bed and hopped to her feet; there was a spring in her step. Stormfly chirped at her, and Astrid grinned.

"Sure thing, girl," she said. "Let's go for a flight, shall we?"

It had been a while since Astrid had felt up to a flight with her dragon. She leapt onto Stormfly's back, Stormfly spread her wings, and the two took to the sky, into the early warmth of the still rising sun.

They flew over the forests; scorch marks littered the forest from when the dragon riders had mimicked the attack a while back, but by now, the dead grass was regrowing, and the scorched tree branches had fallen off and replaced by newly growing branches.

Everything was back to normal. Had it really only been two weeks ago that they were questioning whether or not Hiccup would survive his injuries? Had it really been two weeks since the battle in which Viggo had met his unfortunate end, since they had fought off the hunters and formed a temporary peace treaty with the Berserkers (which was long broken by now, but that didn't matter)?

It seemed so much longer ago than just _two weeks_.

"Whoooo!" Astrid whooped, throwing her hands in the air. They passed a tree, and Astrid expertly swung her arm, releasing her axe in the progress. The axe embedded in the wooden bark of the tree, right where she had been aiming, and when Stormfly swung back around a second time, Astrid grabbed the axe's handle and yanked it back towards her.

A lot had changed in two weeks.

There had been no sign of Dagur, no sign of Ryker and his dragon hunters, Hiccup's condition kept improving, they never had to send for a healer from the mainlands, the twins hadn't done anything stupid, the forest was mending, Fishlegs and Meatlug, with Snotlout and Hookfang's help, had repaired the damage inflicted on the Edge.

Everything was perfect.

Everything was back to normal.

…

Astrid landed Stormfly right outside Hiccup's hut. She dismounted quickly, patted Stormfly's side in thanks, and headed towards the door. She swung her axe behind her, slipping it into its sheath attached to her back, and when she reached the hatch, she pulled it open and headed inside.

Hiccup was sitting at his desk, elbow on the table, chin resting against his knuckles. But when he heard the door open, he leaned over, saw Astrid, and smiled.

"Astrid!" he called. "Morning!" He braced his hands against the desk and pushed himself into a stand; he winced only for a moment, calling to mind that he still had an injury and didn't want to rip his stitches out, but then, the wince smoothed out, and he smiled at Astrid as she moved to stand beside him.

"Stood up too fast again?" she said, reaching out to grab his shoulder and steady him, and Hiccup nodded, smiling embarrassedly.

"Yeah," he said. "Can't do that…" His smile faded into a frown again, and he reached over at the desk, shutting his notebook before Astrid could see what it was.

"What are you working on?" asked Astrid, noticing how quickly he had closed his notebook.

"Ah, nothing much," said Hiccup, shrugging. "Just a new idea I had with Snotlout's Monstrous Nightmare gel...but it's crazy. It'll probably never work out right, anyways…"

"We're dragon riders," said Astrid, smiling. "Basically everything we do is crazy. So, come on…" She moved to snatch the notebook out of his hand, but he held it back. "What are you working on?"

"It's nothing to show for yet," said Hiccup, setting the notebook back on the desk. "Just a new sword design."

"A sword?" said Astrid, brow furrowing in confusion. "Why would you want Monstrous Nightmare gel for a new _sword?"_

"Ah, now _that_ ," said Hiccup, tapping her nose with his finger, to which she groaned, "is a surprise. You'll figure it out soon enough, don't worry."

Astrid sighed, but smiled, shaking her head. "Only you, Hiccup," she said, "would work on a new design for a sword two weeks after being stabbed. What was that thing Gothi said about you getting some rest and not doing anything strenuous? Or have you forgotten again?"

"I haven't forgotten," said Hiccup. "How could I, with everyone always reminding me? I've just gotten a bit...bored."

"Bored," said Astrid. "Hence the Monstrous Nightmare gel sword?"

"Hence the Monstrous Nightmare gel sword."

"Right," said Astrid. For a few moments, there was silence. Hiccup moved over to the bed and sat down; Astrid, after an instant's hesitation, moved to sit beside him. "So, have you talked with your dad?" she asked idly.

Hiccup sighed, but nodded. "I have," he said.

"What did he say?"

"He said he thinks I should go back to Berk with them," said Hiccup, "just until the wound closes for good. He's worried staying here will make me...I don't know…"

"Living out here is kind of stressful, Hiccup," said Astrid. "Worrying about Ryker and his dragon hunters, not to mention Dagur still out there and at large...your dad just doesn't want you to do anything strenuous before you're ready to take it."

"You're supposed to be on my side, Astrid," said Hiccup.

"I am on your side," said Astrid, "and that's why I think it's a good idea for you to go back to Berk while you finish recovering. When you were hurt...it was scary, Hiccup. It was terrifying for all of us. We don't want anything like that to happen again. We don't want you to reopen your wound. You know what Gothi said, she might not be able to stitch it up a second time."

Hiccup sighed, but nodded. "You're right," he said. "You usually are. I'm sure I'll be fine."

"You will be," said Astrid, smiling, to which he smiled back in return. "Just you wait. You'll be back here before you know it."

...

Later on in the afternoon, Hiccup, Astrid, and the other riders stood, about to head down to the docks, where the Berkian ships were waiting, ready to leave. Toothless sat beside Hiccup like an obedient puppy; even the dragon seemed to think it was best for Hiccup to go back to Berk for the remainder of his recovery.

"Take care of yourself, Hiccup," said Fishlegs.

"I will," said Hiccup, nodding. "And you too."

"And remember," said Fishlegs, "I put Toothless' spare auto tailfin on the ship. You can put it on when you get back to Berk, so you don't have to worry about flying Toothless every morning to give him exercise."

"I'll remember, Fishlegs," said Hiccup.

"And don't do anything strenuous-"

"Alright, Fishlegs!" Hiccup laughed softly, putting his hands up as if to defend himself. "I'll be alright! You make it sound like I'm going on the front lines in a battle!"

"I know," said Fishlegs. "Well, we'll see you soon."

"And don't forget to airmail us when you get there!" said Tuffnut.

"Seriously," said Hiccup, "I'm not going on vacation, or anything. I'm just going to Berk, and I'll be back in a few weeks."

"Still!" said Ruffnut. "Don't forget to write, anyways! It's going to be weird without you…"

After the last of the goodbyes, Hiccup turned to Astrid, and though he was smiling, she could still see the worry in his eyes. Astrid sighed and approached him.

"It's better this way, Hiccup," said Astrid softly, but he still jumped slightly. "Dagur still thinks you're dead. It's safer for you if you go back to Berk to mend the rest of the way."

"But what about you guys?" Hiccup argued instantly, as Astrid knew he would. "Dagur, Ryker, the hunters...they could attack when I'm gone, and I don't want you guys to get hurt…"

"We won't get hurt, Hiccup," Astrid promised. "You have my word that when you get back, we'll all still be in one piece."

Hiccup sighed. "I wish you guys could come with us," he said.

"I do, too," said Astrid, "but we have to stay here, make sure Dagur and Ryker don't claim the Edge for their own." She looked to Toothless and nodded. "Take care of Hiccup, Toothless," she said. "Don't let him do anything stupid."

Toothless nodded seriously.

"Hey!" Hiccup protested.

Toothless chortled, and Astrid laughed. Before Hiccup had time to object again, Stoick approached from the docks. He, like Toothless and Astrid, looked relieved at the thought of Hiccup going home for the rest of his recovery. Dragon's Edge wasn't dangerous, but there were dangers outside of the Edge that threatened both dragons and vikings alike. No one wanted to see Hiccup get hurt a second time.

"It's time, Hiccup," said Stoick, putting a hand on Hiccup's shoulder.

"Alright," said Hiccup, nodding. "I'll see you guys in a few weeks," said Hiccup to Astrid, Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Fishlegs. "And I'll airmail you when we get home. I expect daily reports. Let me know if anything happens, if you see any sign of Dagur or Ryker-"

"Sheesh!" shouted Snotlout, rolling his eyes. "Just _go_ already, Princess! We've got it covered!"

"That's what worries me."

"Hiccup, go home," said Astrid. "Get some rest, and don't come back until you're ready. We'll take care of things here. Just go."

Hiccup looked like he would have said something else, but Stoick wrapped his arm around Hiccup's shoulders and led him to the docks, Toothless following closely. Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the twins watched them leave, waving, until the ships disappeared over the horizon.


	2. Chapter 2

**HELLO GUYS! :D :D :D So, I was wondering...I have a few ideas for the next "episodes" I'm going to write for Race to the Edge season 2b (I've decided that's what I'm going to call this series of fanfictions, LOL! :D), and I've written summaries for a few future "episodes"...I was wondering,** **do you guys want to see the summaries on my profile as a bit of a sneak preview of the future episodes?** **If so, I'll go ahead and put them up there! :D If not, that works too, but let me know, alright? :D Oh, and I have another author's note at the bottom of the page, so check that out too, please? :D Thanks! You're all amazing! :D Shout-outs:**

 **ShadowSpirit02: Astrid in charge, Hiccup on Berk, the twins and Snotlout under Astrid's watch...sounds perfect! :D**

 **Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: Yay! :D It feels good to be writing again! I missed it! :D And yep, no matter how long I'm gone, I'll always return. XD**

 **Charr2003: Whooo, Hiccstrid! *dances around like mentally insane person* Wheee! :D Go Hiccstrid! :D Thanks! I'm glad you enjoy the story so far! :D**

 **HappyPup1: *long inhale* Aw, thank you! :D**

 **Artwing7: Aw, thanks! :D I'm feeling a lot better now. :D**

 **Sophhascoconuts: Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better. The only lingering symptom now is a cough. :D The gang at the Edge is going to be seen a lot, but there will be a sub-plot back on Berk (*hint hint* father/son bonding XD). Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Martyn: Yes, I'm back! :D That sounds like an adorable story! :D I don't know how I'd create a full story out of that, but a one-shot would be fun! :D Thanks for the idea! :D**

 **Jo: *dances, too* YAY! :D *exited dancing* :D**

 **midnightsky0612: Yep. :D**

 **LunarCatNinja: Agreed! :D Yep, Hiccup the Ace in the Hole. As always. :D :D :D**

 **Dimensional Girl: Yeah...but it's for his own good. :D**

 **AquaticDragon: Thanks! I'm glad! :D**

 **Carly Marley: Yeah, we're all fine now! :D Thank you! Your prayers are much appreciated! :D And yeah, I thought it was so funny when Snotlout called him "Princess Outpost Hiccup" in "When Darkness Falls", so I just had to use it again. :P And haha, yes! I just called my older brother "Princess" the other day...he wasn't exactly thrilled. LOL! :D XD**

 **Guest (#1): More! *throws update everywhere***

 **Crystallion12: Yeah. I always thought of Hiccup and the other dragon riders like one big family. Hiccup's like the big brother; everyone misses him when he's gone. :D**

 **SnivyDragon: Whoooo! :D *fist pump* So excited! :D I'm really enjoying writing this so far...XD And yeah, getting sick wasn't fun, but we're all doing a lot better now. :D Thanks! :D**

 **Midnight510: The flaming sword, yeeeessss! :D I'm really excited about Inferno, I couldn't help but put a bit of it in there. XD Oooh yeah...normally whenever they say "nothing will go wrong" you know automatically that something will go very, very wrong. XD**

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"So, what now?" said Snotlout lamely, looking around at the rest of the riders, still standing outside the door, watching the vacant, tame ocean.

"I don't know," said Ruffnut. "I don't think Hiccup's ever been away and us still here before...not like this, anyways…"

"And he won't be back for _weeks?"_ said Tuffnut, raising his hands before dropping them back to his sides. "Well, I'm stumped. What are we supposed to do _now?"_

"We'll do what we always do," said Fishlegs obviously, "except, without Hiccup. We'll still do all the patrols to make sure no one's coming our way…"

"Come on!" moaned Snotlout. "I thought with Hiccup gone, we'd get off the hook as far as the patrols go!"

"Nothing has changed," said Astrid harshly, crossing her arms. "We're still going to train, patrol the oceans, all the lookout points, and keep ourselves armed. Who knows what Dagur or the hunters are planning."

"But we'll wait until morning," said Fishlegs. "We're going to need someone to do the first night patrol, before the Night Terrors take over-"

"Not me!" shouted Tuffnut instantly, throwing his hands in the air.

"I second his not me!" Ruffnut agreed, throwing her hands in the air right alongside her brother.

"And you guys know," said Snotlout, "that if you let me and Hookfang take the patrol, no patrolling will get done. Isn't that right, Fangster?" Hookfang, in response, growled and lowered his head to go to sleep. "See? He's already shunned you all."

"Urgh!" groaned Fishlegs. "Fine! Meatlug and I will take care of the night patrol, and the Night Terrors can finish up."

"The rest of you," said Astrid, raising her hand to point; the twins snapped to attention, and Snotlout just looked as bored as he always did, "are going to meet me at the arena for some last minute training. We've been slacking the past few weeks."

"Um," said Tuffnut, raising his hand, "on second thought, can we do the patrol?"

"No," said Astrid firmly. "Fishlegs is taking the patrol. You two can take it tomorrow, and Snotlout, you'll take it the day after that. Stormfly and I will be in charge of making sure there's plenty of fish stocked up."

"Hey, no fair!" said Snotlout. "How come you get to have meal duty? Hookfang and I are _more_ than capable of meal duty!"

"Because," said Astrid, "the last time you and Hookfang took care of meal duty, Hookfang _ate_ everything."

Hookfang growled as if offended.

"Point made," said Snotlout, "but I still don't think it's fair that you and Stormfly get out of patrolling." He said it as though he made a good point.

"Fine," said Astrid, crossing her arms tighter over her chest. "I'll patrol after you and Hookfang patrol."

"How come you get to go last?"

Astrid glared at him warningly in a silent way of saying, _Drop it_ , and Snotlout clamped his mouth shut with an audible _click_ of his teeth. Satisfied, Astrid smirked, turned, and mounted Stormfly.

"I expect to see you three," said Astrid, pointing to Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut in turn, "at the arena by sun down."

"Don't worry!" said Tuffnut, smiling in a way that didn't reassure Astrid in the slightest. "We'll be there! Won't we, Chicken?"

Chicken, who had been sitting atop Tuffnut's head, clucked happily, which could have meant anything, and Astrid, groaning to herself with a large eyeroll, turned and took to the sky with Stormfly. Fishlegs mounted Meatlug and gave Snotlout and the twins a warning look of his own.

"If you're smart," said Fishlegs with the voice of one giving vital advice, "you'll meet her at the arena. Astrid's already upset about Hiccup not being here. It'd be best if you didn't make her any _more_ upset, alright?"

"Come on, Fishlegs," said Snotlout breezily, leaning up against Hookfang's side. "When do we _ever_ make Astrid upset?" Hookfang, growling, lit himself on fire; Snotlout sprang backwards with an indignant shout, clutching his scorched arm.

"Yeeeeah," said Fishlegs, muttering more than anything, "right. Come on, Meatlug…" And Meatlug spread her wings and took to the sky, flying in the opposite direction as Astrid.

As soon as he was out of sight, Snotlout turned to Ruffnut and Tuffnut. "Maybe he was right," said Snotlout. "Maybe we shouldn't try and make Astrid any more angry than she already is."

Tuffnut and Ruffnut recoiled, eyes widening in shock. "Whoa," said Ruffnut. "What happened to Snotlout?"

"I don't know," said Tuffnut, still looking at Snotlout as though he'd sprouted another head. "Since when does Snotlout _agree_ with Fishlegs?"

Snotlout scowled at them. "Knock it off," he grumbled, moving to mount Hookfang. "Come on, Hookfang. Let's get to the arena before Astrid has our heads."

Hookfang, for once, obeyed his rider - mostly. He rose into the air and took off, flying low so that Snotlout banged his head against a support beam. Snotlout yelled, "OW!" angrily, and Hookfang, chortling, sounding very pleased with himself, soared onwards.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut remained with Barf and Belch. Ruffnut looked down, and then, back up at Tuffnut.

"So," she said.

"So," said Tuffnut, putting his hands together. "What do we do now?"

"I'm not sure," said Ruffnut. "If this was a normal day, we'd probably go off and do the opposite of what Astrid wants us to do, and Hiccup would get mad at us later and assign us extra chores."

"But," said Tuffnut, raising a finger. "It sounds like there's a but."

" _Buuuut_ ," said Ruffnut, "this isn't a normal day. Hiccup isn't here…"

"Which means we should probably do what Astrid says," said Tuffnut, "or else, we get her end of the axe and not Hiccup's end of the shouting."

"Right," said Ruffnut, nodding. "We should probably do what she says...probably…"

"Maybe…" said Tuffnut.

"Possibly…" said Ruffnut.

They looked at each other, considering their options.

"No way!" they said in unison. They mounted Barf and Belch and took to the sky, flying over the ocean, away from Astrid and Snotlout, and away from Fishlegs.

Away from the Edge, towards the open ocean.

…

Astrid paced back and forth, axe held over her shoulder. She kicked a target into place, leaning it against the wall, and then, she looked back up at the sky. She waited five minutes. Ten minutes. Fifteen. And then…

"URGH!" She threw her axe to the side, and it embedded itself in the dead center of the target she had just leaned against the wall. The target split down the middle, her axe dropping to the ground.

"I knew it!" said Astrid, turning and grabbing her axe off the ground, ready to throw it at another target she had set up. "I knew it, I knew it!" Stormfly growled in confusion. "I told you!" said Astrid angrily, swinging her axe at nothing in particular. "I told you they wouldn't show up! Just wait until I get my hands on them…"

From above, she heard wing beats, and, stiffening, she looked up. Snotlout soared in on Hookfang, and once the Monstrous Nightmare landed, he dismounted.

"So, I showed up," said Snotlout, crossing his arms. "Despite popular opinion, I'm not actually an idiot." He leaned against one of the targets...and nearly fell over when his weight made the target collapse in on itself. "Oh," Snotlout mumbled, stepping away from the target as if it were on fire. "Sorry...I can fix that...er...um…"

Astrid face palmed. "Don't worry about it," she said. "Are the twins coming?"

Snotlout looked at her, at the target, and then up at the sky. "Probably."

Astrid fixed him with a pointed look.

Snotlout raised his hand. "Not."

"That's better," said Astrid. "I honestly didn't expect _you_ to show up, either. So, I guess I owe you an apology."

Snotlout looked at her uncertainly. "Is this some kind of a joke?" he said. "Are the twins hiding out around here? Did you scheme with them?"

"What? No!" Astrid protested. "I just…"

"You just…?" said Snotlout.

Astrid sighed heavily, lowering her head and shutting her eyes. "I'm just thinking," she said, "about...everything. I mean, Dagur and the hunters aren't in alliance anymore, but...maybe it'll make them harder to take care of, having two enemies instead of once big enemy."

Snotlout looked at her. His expression was hard to read.

"And the whole thing with Hiccup," said Astrid, raising one hand, just to drop it again, "and him getting injured like he did...I don't know…"

"You're worried another one of us is going to end up with a knife in the stomach," said Snotlout, "like Hiccup did."

Astrid raised her head to stare at him. She looked surprised. "How did you…?"

"Like I said," said Snotlout, uncrossing his arms to hang at his sides, "I'm not an idiot. I've been thinking, too."

"You know how bad that is for you, Snotlout-"

"Let me finish," said Snotlout, putting forward his hands. "What happened to Hiccup freaked everyone out. We've always thought Hiccup to be sort of...invulnerable. He always has the greatest ideas, is always so set on making sure all of us are safe...none of us expected Viggo to hurt him like that."

"And it shook us all up," said Astrid, looking down at the axe still in her hands.

Snotlout groaned, only this time, he sounded aggravated. "Come on, Astrid!" he shouted, making Astrid jump.

"What?" she said.

"Why can't you just say it?" said Snotlout, and he still sounded irritated. "Why can't you just say what everyone else already knows?"

"What?" said Astrid again.

"You love Hiccup!" said Snotlout obviously. "It's so painfully obvious! You're in love with him! And don't try to deny it," he said when she opened her mouth. "I already know the truth. Everyone does. Fishlegs, the twins, despite how dull they are...a blind man would be able to see that you love him!"

Astrid didn't deny it; couldn't deny it. She sighed. "You're right," she said. "You're right…"

"Sooo," said Snotlout, putting his hands together, "even though this means you and I are officially not a thing…"

"We never _were_ a thing in the first place, Snotlout," said Astrid, deadpan.

Snotlout put up his hands in defense. "Hey, I can dream, can't I?" he said, offended. "But anyways, since you and I aren't a thing, why don't you tell Hiccup you love him? How hard can it be?"

"It's not that simple," said Astrid.

"Of course it is!" said Snotlout. "You just walk up to him when he gets back, look him in the eyes and say...well...that you love him! What, are you afraid he's not going to love you back? You know he loves you!"

Astrid gave him a look, but this time, Snotlout didn't back down; he was on a roll. "Look, Astrid," he said, calming down dramatically, "with everything that's happened, you would think you'd be jumping to tell him. You know, just in case...something _does_ happen, where you or him ends up with a knife in your stomachs, and Gothi can't save you...tell him before it's too late, alright?"

Astrid blinked at Snotlout in confusion. "Snotlout," she said.

Snotlout groaned. "Oh, what now?" he said.

"Thank you," said Astrid.

Snotlout stared at her. "What?" he said. "I can be sensitive, too! Why does _everyone_ think I'm a heartless _jerk?"_

Astrid blew air out of her nose and shook her head. "So," she said, raising her axe again, "you up to some training?"

Snotlout shrugged. "Well, I'm here anyways," he said, "so why not?"

* * *

 **So, guys,** **I STILL NEED IDEAS FOR EPISODES!** **:D Remember, I may or may not do all of them, but having ideas could help me get 'em out faster. I think right now, I have** **FIVE** **episodes I have no idea what I'm going to write about (the first eight I already have planned), so if you guys have any ideas, I need** **FIVE MORE!** **:D Thanks to all! You're amazing! :D**

 **Oh, and on a totally unrelated note,** **do you like my new profile picture?** **Let me know! :D Thanks! Love you guys! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**HELLO PEOPLE! :D I'M BAAACCCKKK! TWO UPDATES TODAY, OH BOY! :D :D :D So, the episode summaries I have so far are on my profile for everyone to read! But no taking the ideas! If you do, I will find you. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! No seriously, though. XD Love you guys! :D Shout-outs:**

 **Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: For once I agree with Snotlout. XD And yep, twins being typical twins, gotta love it. XD I love the twins. :D AND ASTRID SHOULD TOTALLY TELL HICCUP. :D**

 **Nightfall of Anime: Thanks! :D I'm glad you like the new profile picture! :D Aw, I'm glad you like all my stories! :D And don't worry about not reviewing every time, either. Seriously, it's no problem at all. :D That is a GREAT idea! :D I'm not so sure how I'd tie it in to match the "Toothless is the last Night Fury" in the second film, but I'll definitely keep the idea! Maybe they can THINK it's a Night Fury, and then at the end it turns out it's not, but it looks exactly like them, and the riders think of a name for the species using "Fury" in the title...I don't know. What do you think? Is that changing the idea too much? XD Thanks for the review! :D**

 **ShadowSpirit020: You can never have too much Hiccstrid, can ya? :D NEVER! :D And I just put the summaries on my profile! :D Whoop whoop! :D**

 **The Brucest Writer: Thanks! :D I'm glad you liked the chapter! :D**

 **Dimensional Girl: Yep. Snotlout ships it. XD And that's a great idea! :D I love the idea of Stoick and Hiccup sitting down and talking about Valka and stuff...great idea! :D Thanks! :D**

 **BreadThief98: New episode, whoot whoot! :D Oh man, I imagine ANY family of Ruffnut and Tuffnut is insane...that'd be hilarious, with the rest of the gang trying to control Ruffnut and Tuffnut's cousin...what if like, Dagur kidnaps the cousin, and then the cousin blows up half of his fleet, or something? XD That'd be hilarious! :D And yeah, it is a little weird that we haven't seen Alvin yet! I don't actually know if we will. I hope we do! :D It'd be cool to see him after he and the Berkians made peace and everything...XD**

 **Sophhascoconuts: Summaries on profile right now, yayyyyy! :D That is a GREAT idea! :D I love the idea of Hiccup feeling all pressured because he wants to live up to his father and stuff and is afraid he isn't good enough...brilliance! :D Thanks a bunch! :D**

 **Prince Maggie: Thanks! :D I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! :D And yeah, being sick _does_ suck. :D **

**HappyPup1: I'm glad! :D GO HICCSTRID! :D**

 **Charr2003: Thanks! I'm glad! I think a lot of people like the profile pic so far. :D That _is_ actually not a bad idea! :D I'm already doing an episode sort of like that, where the riders get separated and have to each find their way to each other again, so I don't know if I'll do one with Astrid, but it _is_ a good idea! :D Thanks for the review! :D **

**SnivyDragon: Snotlout! :D And the summaries are up on my profile right now! :D YAY YAY! :D :D :D Thanks! Yeah, I like the new profile pic better than most my previous ones. :D And the Skrill...hmm...who knows? :D I love that dragon! :D We'll see what happens! Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Guest (#1): Thanks for reviewing! :D And yeah, don't worry if you can't come up with anything. I'm glad you enjoy reading my stories! It means a lot! :D :D :D**

 **DragonQueen3721: Evil Alvin and Mildew. I'll consider it! :D And I agree, Alvin agreed to peace WAY too quickly. I was hoping there was going to be some epic battle scene in the end of Defenders of Berk, but Alvin just turned good, and then it ended...-_- XD Thanks for the review! :D**

 **LunarCatNinja: Yep! :D I don't think Snotlout's gotten enough character development yet (hence the scene in the previous chapter :D). I hope Dreamworks develops him a bit more. :D**

* * *

Ruffnut and Tuffnut soared over the ocean, mounted on their dragon Barf and Belch. Night had fallen, and the sky above was clear as water from a mountain stream. Ruffnut looked around, from the sky, to the ocean, and then over her shoulder.

"Um, Tuffnut," she said, calling to get her voice over the rising wind, "shouldn't we head back now? The others might get worried if we're missing for more than a few hours."

"They won't even notice we're gone!" said Tuffnut, throwing his hands into the air. "Don't worry about it, dear sister! We'll head back soon, but right now, I see an electrical storm up ahead!"

Ruffnut gasped excitedly. "Lightning!" she cheered, throwing her hands in the air, all previous thoughts of heading back to the Edge having vanished the instant she saw the dark, ominous clouds. "We've struck _gold!"_

"Yeah!" Tuffnut, too threw his hands into the air, but then, suddenly, he looked down at the ocean, and frowned. "Hey, Ruffnut!" he said. "I didn't know Dagur liked watching storms, too!"

"What?" said Ruffnut instantly, looking down, and sure enough, Tuffnut was right. Below them, Dagur and about a dozen of his ships were sailing, straight in the direction of the Edge. Tuffnut must have realized that this was a problem, because he, too, frowned.

"Um…" he said, "uh oh."

"Um, _yeah_ , uh oh," said Ruffnut. "We should probably get back and tell the others."

"That," said Tuffnut, raising a finger, "is a really good idea. And we can come back and watch the storms as soon as Dagur is going in the opposite direction."

Ruffnut nodded in agreement.

…

Astrid and Snotlout walked into the Clubhouse, Snotlout limping slightly, covered in bruises from the hand-to-hand combat they had practiced during training, and Astrid's axe was still held in her tight grip. Fishlegs was leaning over some papers at the round table by the light of an oil lantern, and he raised his head when Astrid and Snotlout walked in.

"Any word from Hiccup yet?" Astrid asked, setting her axe against the wall and moving to see what Fishlegs was looking at.

Fishlegs shook his head. "Not yet," he said, "but it's only been a few hours, Astrid. I'm sure we'll hear from him soon."

"Right," said Astrid, while Snotlout dropped himself on one of the benches, wincing painfully. "Well, let me know as soon as an airmail comes in."

Fishlegs looked up at her. "Astrid," he said, "there probably won't be anything for a while. At the earliest, tomorrow afternoon. They probably haven't even _gotten_ to Berk yet."

"You're right," said Astrid after a sigh. She took up her axe, a piece of flint from the table, and sat down on a nearby stool to sharpen her weapon. "How'd the patrol go?" she asked. "Anything unusual?"

"Nope," said Fishlegs idly, not even lifting his head from the papers he was indulged in. "The patrol went great. The Night Terrors are on duty now, they'll alert us if they see anything-"

As if on cue, a dozen (give or take) Night Terrors crashed through the door of the Clubhouse, startling Meatlug, who was sleeping in the corner, and Eyelicker the Changewing, who was still recovering from his own injuries. Snotlout yelped and fell backwards off the bench; Fishlegs and Astrid looked up with a start.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut soared into the Clubhouse behind the Night Terrors, breathing heavily as if they had run instead of flown. The Night Terrors, getting over the spook given to them by Barf and Belch, hissed at the twins and left the Clubhouse once again.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" said Astrid, standing up and making her way towards the twins. "You two had better have a good explanation for this!"

Ruffnut and Tuffnut leapt off their dragon's back and raced forward. "Ohh, we do, little missy," said Tuffnut.

"And it's not good," said Ruffnut.

…

"Alright!" said Astrid the next morning, pacing in front of where Fishlegs, the twins, and Snotlout were seated on a bench. Sunlight streamed through the windows; Eyelicker and the other dragons were sitting behind the riders, watching as Astrid paced. "Dagur and his Berserkers are on their way to the Edge!" said Astrid, halting in her pace to face the others. "And from what Ruffnut and Tuffnut told us last night, they aren't very far off."

"How many ships did you say they had again, Ruffnut?" said Fishlegs shakily; he was more worried about this than anyone.

"Oh, maybe a dozen or so," said Ruffnut, making a seesaw with her hand in a "give-or-take" kind of fashion. "Fifteen, sixteen...it's definitely _more_ than a dozen."

"Right," said Astrid with authority, "and from what Tuffnut tells me-"

"That's me!" cheered Tuffnut.

Astrid cleared her throat. _Must not yell at Tuffnut,_ she told herself silently, _must not yell at Tuffnut_. "From what Tuffnut tells me," she said again, "the ships were closer to Ryker's base then they were ours." She moved to the wall, where a giant map was hung. The map was constructed through many pieces of paper added on whenever they came across a new land; Astrid gestured to where Ryker's base was marked on the map with a red nail.

"They should reach us," said Astrid, "by evening tomorrow. Now, the first thing we have to do is start getting as many weapons as we can from our forge into the Clubhouse. The Clubhouse is the highest ground, we'll be able to defend ourselves there nicely. Everyone else, we'll work on setting up our other defenses; the Changewings can wait out in the forest, the rest of the dragons can-"

"Um, listen," said Snotlout, folding his hands. "Shouldn't we tell Hiccup about this? I mean, we promised him we'd tell him if anything like this happened…"

"We can't tell Hiccup, Snotlout," said Astrid. "You saw how worried he was when he left. Even mentioning subtly that we're in danger will have him frenzied. This is something we have to take care of alone...without Hiccup."

Snotlout choked; Ruffnut and Tuffnut gasped.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" said Fishlegs quietly. "Attempting to attack Dagur would be _foolish_ without Hiccup. As far as brains go, Hiccup's at the top."

"And we're at the bottom," said Ruffnut and Tuffnut in unison, and they high-fived.

"That's not usually a good thing, guys," said Snotlout, deadpan.

"Oh," said Ruffnut and Tuffnut, and they high-fived once more.

"Couldn't we send an airmail to Berk," said Snotlout, "and ask them to send some reinforcements, _without_ Hiccup figuring it out?"

"And you don't think Hiccup will realize half of the Berkian arsenal leaving the docks?" said Fishlegs flatly. "I just got finished saying Hiccup's the smartest in our group. If he even gets suspicious, he'll be back here, regardless of what anyone else says or does."

"Ugh," said Tuffnut, "now I know why Dagur's always so annoyed with Hiccup. Does _anything_ get by him? Trying to hide something from Hiccup is harder than trying to hide a rotten egg from a herd of-"

"Okay, I don't know _where_ you were going with that," said Astrid, "but I'm gonna stop you there."

"Astrid's right," said Fishlegs. "The entire reason Hiccup is gone in the first place is because we wanted him to be able to get some rest and recover from his injury. Telling him we're under attack would be counterproductive."

"Wow," said Snotlout, "five syllables, Fishlegs. I'm impressed."

"Shut up, Snotlout."

"But he'd want to know we were under attack, wouldn't he?" said Tuffnut.

"Of course he would," said Astrid, "but then, he'd want to be here to help us fight Dagur off-"

"I don't see the problem with telling him," said Ruffnut. "I mean, honestly...he's _Hiccup!_ He's smart, he'll know we can handle it!"

Fishlegs, Snotlout, and Astrid fixed her with a pointed look. Ruffnut sighed.

"Or," she said, "he'll panic because we're trying to handle it."

"So it's settled," said Snotlout. "We're keeping this a secret from Hiccup. And besides, it's only fifteen or so ships, isn't it? We should be able to take down Dagur and his men if we can build up our defenses."

"Why don't we just go take Dagur our now?" said Tuffnut. "You know, hit him with the element of surprise."

"Because Dagur has the advantage," said Astrid. "He might not be with the hunters anymore, but I'm sure he still has some of their net shooting catapults onboard his ships. When we're on dragons, he has the advantage. But if we're here with our set up defenses, he won't stand a chance."

"Alright!" said Snotlout, throwing his hands in the air over his head happily. "Keeping secrets, this is what I'm good at!"

"When Hiccup sends his airmail," said Astrid, "I'll write back. If any of you say anything to Hiccup, don't even _mention_ Dagur or the hunters, even if he does. Keep off the subject altogether, or he'll figure it out."

"Works for me," said Fishlegs.

"So we're all in agreement," said Astrid.

Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Fishlegs nodded.

"Alright," said Astrid, clapping her hands together. "Ruffnut and Tuffnut, you're on rigs. Put as many boobytraps and trap doors around the forests and platforms as you want."

Ruffnut and Tuffnut stood, saluted, mounted their dragon, and headed off to get a head start.

"Fishlegs and Snotlout," said Astrid, "you're with me. We'll build up all of our wall defenses here."

"Got it," said Fishlegs, nodding.

"Easy peasy," said Snotlout, examining his fingernail breezily. "Rig the Edge, get ready to attack Dagur...this is what we're _really_ good at!"

"Then let's get to it," said Astrid. "Every minute counts."

…

Stoick walked up the steps leading to Hiccup's loft in their house, Toothless following at his feet, a sleeping Hiccup cradled in Stoick's arms. Honestly, Hiccup had been sleeping throughout the entire boat ride, and he didn't seem to be up to waking any time soon. Gothi said it was expected and entirely normal; Hiccup had been sleeping more than the average person the past two weeks. It would be a while before he was back to his old self again.

It was early morning, and the rest of the Berkian men were at the docks, unloading the ships. Stoick laid Hiccup down on the boy's bed as gently as he could, which was a bit difficult, as Stoick had never been apt to be "gentle", but he managed it, and Hiccup didn't even stir. Stoick pulled the quilt over his son and rested his hand on Hiccup's forehead; he was warm, but Stoick figured it wasn't from fever. It was probably just from being in the below decks of a hot ship all day.

Stoick sometimes found himself thinking what he would have done if Hiccup hadn't survived the stabbing. He wouldn't have been carrying his sleeping son to bed; he would have been carrying his dead son to his funeral pyre, spreading a sheet over his body instead of a blanket…

Stoick shut his eyes.

It was hard to think about.

It was _horrible_ to think about.

Toothless didn't move to his stone slab, where he usually slept. Instead, the Night Fury curled right beside the bed, where Stoick knew he would stay guard over Hiccup for the days that laid ahead of them. Stoick, after he was sure his son was safe under Toothless' guard, turned and left for downstairs.

He didn't see Hiccup's one open eye watch him leave, nor did he see the soft, warm smile that crossed over his son's face just before he turned over, shut his eyes, and sleep once more.


	4. Chapter 4

**TODAY IS THE LEAP DAY IN THE LEAP YEAR.**

 **LEAP YEAR, GUYS.**

 **GUYS.**

 **IT'S HICCUP'S BIRTHDAY! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! :D HAPPY BIRTHDAY! AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ANYONE ELSE WHO WAS BORN ON THE LEAP YEAR! :D Shout-outs:**

 **Guest (#1): Whoo! Good for you! *high five***

 **ShadowSpirit020: Keeping any secrets from Hiccup...hard work! Hard work! :/ XD There is definitely a Hiccup-on-Berk sub-plot to this story! :D Yeah, I love writing about Hiccup and his friends. :D**

 **LunarCatNinja: Thanks! :D I love father/son fluff. I had to put that in there somewhere. :D**

 **Nightfall of Anime: Aw, thank you! :D And you're welcome! Thanks for the idea! :D And yeah, it hurts when the normally so strong characters are hurt and sad...the feelsies are realsies! :'(**

 **Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: Yeah, right? Go twins! :D And I love father/son fluff, too! I hope there's more of that in season 3 of Race to the Edge. It's SO BEAUTIFUL! :D**

 **midnightsky0612: Feeeeeeeeellllllllssss! :D**

 **Crystallion12: Yep, definitely something Hiccup would do! :D Unfortunately, I don't think Stoick or Hiccup's injury would allow him to get very far if he tried escaping...but I love the idea of Hiccup having his own Night Terror friend. :D**

 **Jo: FATHER SON BONDING. FEEEELLLLSSSSSSS. :D**

 **HappyPup1: FLUFFY! :D**

 **Midnight510: Go twins! :D That'd be a GREAT idea, putting a Night Fury silhouette flying over the sky! :D I should see what goes in to doing that! :D I love picture editing! :D**

 **1 Fan: Thank you so much! :D And yeah, don't worry about reviewing every chapter. :D Thanks! :D**

 **wikelia: Awwwww, thank you so much! :D**

 **Guest (#2): That is a great idea! :D And Hiccup and Tuffnut can be seen trying to work together to find a way of escape while while Astrid and Ruffnut panic...that'd be a great story! :D Thanks! :D**

 **Artwing7: I love father/son bonding so much! It's adorable! :D**

* * *

When Hiccup woke up again, he didn't know what time it was, but judging the way the light outside his window was fading, it was nearing evening. He sat up, wincing only slightly as the movement pulled at his stitches; he'd had them in for two weeks, and according to Gothi, she was going to leave them in for another week or two, just to make sure the wound had closed properly.

The sun was setting, that Hiccup was sure of. He didn't remember falling asleep, but he must have been sleeping for a while. A full day, if the way the sky looked outside was any indication. And yet, he was still tired. He moved his hand over his face, rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

Toothless' head appeared suddenly in his line of vision, and Hiccup smiled, scratching Toothless' head fondly. "Hey, buddy," he said. "How long was I sleeping, huh?"

Toothless cooed, which Hiccup took as "a long time." Hiccup smiled fondly...and then, on his desk, he saw one of his notebooks, coupled with his charcoal.

"Oh, right," he said, grabbing the notebook and charcoal off the desk. "I was supposed to airmail the guys back at the Edge…" He opened the notebook, took a moment to think about what to write, and scribbled something down. Toothless watched him with interest, and when Hiccup finished writing, he tore the parchment out of the notebook and looked towards the window.

"Think you could call Sharpshot over here, bud?" Hiccup asked, looking from the window to Toothless, and Toothless nodded, already moving towards the window. He roared, and after a few moments, a small, green Terrible Terror flew through the open window and perched on the headboard of Hiccup's bed.

"Hey, Sharpshot," said Hiccup fondly, reaching over to scratch Sharpshot's head. "I need you to take this to Dragon's Edge, alright?" Sharpshot nodded in obedient agreement, and Hiccup fastened the letter to Sharpshot's leg with a piece of cord and watched the Terrible Terror spread his wings and fly back out the window, towards his assigned destination to deliver the letter.

Hiccup sighed. "Well, that should get there by tonight, anyways," he said. "Sharpshot's faster than he looks."

Toothless only nodded in agreement.

…

Ruffnut and Tuffnut charged into the Clubhouse, followed closely by Barf and Blech. They were all covered in leaves and mud, and what looked like (oddly enough) thick, pink tree sap. Astrid raised her head from where she had piled weapons and looked at them. Beside her, Fishlegs did the same.

"Do I even _want_ to know?" Astrid asked.

"Probably not _all_ the details," said Tuffnut.

"But you will like to know," said Ruffnut excitedly, "that between here and the dock is filled with so many diabolical traps, it's impossible not to trip one."

"Or two," said Tuffnut.

"A second," said Ruffnut.

"Forever-"

"Well, that's great!" said Astrid. "I'm proud of you guys! Snotlout's finishing up the final line of defense, and the Night Terrors are on lookout. Stormfly and I are going to do one last patrol, and then, we'll head to bed. We all need as much shut eye as we can get."

"Agreed," said Ruffnut, nodding.

"Definitely agreed," said Tuffnut.

At that moment, Snotlout barged through the door, waving his arm around back and forth frantically. "Ow, ow, ow, get it off me, get it off me!" he shouted, spinning like a dancer standing on hot embers. "Painful message, _very painful message -_ HELP!"

Astrid sprang forward, followed by Fishlegs. Ruffnut and Tuffnut seemed barely able to contain their laughter. Fishlegs grabbed Snotlout's arm and forced him to stay still. After a moment, he gasped excitedly.

"Hey, it's Sharpshot!" said Fishlegs. "Airmail from Hiccup!"

"GET IT OFF," Snotlout shouted, and it took both Astrid and Fishlegs to pry the Terrible Terror from where it had latched onto Snotlout's forearm. As soon as the dragon parted company with Snotlout, Astrid untied the string and unrolled the parchment. Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Fishlegs, and Snotlout (cradling his offended arm all the while) leaned over, trying to see what it said.

Astrid read the note out loud for them all to hear.

"Hiccup says, _'Sorry I didn't airmail you guys sooner. I slept through the entire ship ride and most of today. We got back to Berk without any trouble, and tell Fishlegs that even if I_ did _hook up Toothless' auto tailfin, I doubt he'd be leaving my side. I miss you guys, and I'll see you in a few weeks. Airmail me back when you can. Regards, Hiccup.'"_

"So, that's good, right?" said Snotlout; Sharpshot flew over to the table and stretched like a cat about to sleep. Astrid set the note down on the table, grabbed a piece of paper, and began writing her reply message. "They got back to Berk without running into Dagur or trouble," said Snotlout.

"Yeah, it's good," said Astrid. "As far as Dagur is concerned, Hiccup is dead. He's safer if he's on Berk. It's safer if Dagur thinks he's dead."

"What are you saying back?" said Fishlegs.

"The standard, 'We're all doing great, we miss you too, see you in a few weeks,'" said Astrid, continuing her frantic scribbles on the parchment before her. "Nothing to hint Dagur's planning to attack the Edge."

"Good," said Fishlegs, nodding.

Astrid rolled her letter once she had finished and, after finding a piece of string, tied the scroll to Sharpshot's leg. Sharpshot spread his wings and shot back out the door and into the night.

"Alright," said Astrid. "If all our defenses are up, and if the Night Terrors are staying guard, we can all get some sleep."

…

Hiccup's eyes opened, and he realized he had fallen asleep sitting up, leaning against his headboard. He sighed heavily and moaned to himself; he really had to stop falling asleep without meaning to. Toothless was sleeping, curled up on the floor like a feline, and Hiccup smiled.

Then, he heard footsteps, and realized what had woken him up: the sound of his front door opening and closing. He raised his head towards the stairs, and after a moment, his father stepped up the last steps and into the loft.

Stoick looked at Hiccup for a moment, and then, he smiled. "Good to see you up, Hiccup," Stoick said, crossing the room and sitting on a stool parked by the bed.

Hiccup shrugged a bit carelessly. "It's good to be up," he said. He looked out the window, at the sun, which had set a few hours ago. "When did we get here?" he asked.

"This morning," said Stoick. "You were out cold. Not even Gobber's singing woke you."

"Thank Thorfor _that_ ," said Hiccup, smiling. "Gobber's singing is worse than Dagur's maniac cackling."

Stoick chuckled, and after a minute, Hiccup laughed softly. After that, a silence fell. It was slightly awkward, with both Stoick and Hiccup waiting for the other to say something, but it wasn't uncomfortable; quite the opposite, in fact. It was a very comfortable silence.

"Oh," said Stoick suddenly, and he set a small vial on the desk. "Gothi wanted you to take this. It's for the pain."

Hiccup reached over and took the small vial into his hands. The vial was clear, but whatever was inside it looked so horrid that the glass appeared fogged. Hiccup swallowed hard. "It really doesn't hurt, Dad," said Hiccup, not because it didn't hurt, but because he knew how horrible Gothi's remedies tasted.

Stoick gave him a pointed look.

"Honestly!" Hiccup insisted, but when Stoick still didn't reply, Hiccup sighed, uncorked the vial, and downed it in one gulp. He shut his eyes tightly and shivered as he swallowed.

"That…" he said. "That tasted like...like…"

"Best not to think about it," said Stoick, taking the vial back and setting it on the table.

Hiccup shook his head, still clicking his tongue, trying to get the horrible taste out of his mouth. "Easy for you to say. You didn't have to _drink_ it," said Hiccup.

"I did," said Stoick, nodding. "Not recently. A long time ago. When I was your age, I used to take it quite frequently, getting burns and scratches in dragon raids." He laughed softly. "Your mother would go to Gothi all the time for this pain killer."

Hiccup studied his father carefully; this was one of the very few times Stoick talked about Hiccup's mother.

"Sorry," said Stoick, after a moment of slightly less comfortable silence.

"No, no, it's alright," said Hiccup, nodding as if to confirm it to himself. "It's fine. I...I like it when you talk about her."

They looked at each other for a few moments, and then, Hiccup shifted, drawing his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around his legs. "What was she like?" Hiccup asked after a moment.

"She was…" said Stoick, and he looked at Hiccup, smiling softly. "She was a lot like you, Hiccup. I see her in you with everything you do...even when you befriended Toothless. It was just the sort of thing she would have tried to do."

"She liked dragons?" Hiccup asked.

"She was never against them," said Stoick. "She thought peace was possible...and she was right. She was extremely funny. Had a good sense of humor. But very caring and protective, especially of you after you were born...you look exactly like her. You have her eyes." He raised a finger in a lighthearted point. "Precisely her eyes."

Hiccup blinked. "But I'm sure I didn't inherit everything from her," he said.

"Most of it," said Stoick.

"Well…" said Hiccup, turning his thoughts over in his head, "I'm sure my stubbornness is from your side of the family."

"I'm sure most of it is," said Stoick, "but your mother could be stubborn when she wanted to be. She knew how to put her foot down, I'm telling you."

The comfortable silence returned.

"Hiccup," said Stoick, and he suddenly sounded stern.

Hiccup looked at him, silently dreading what was coming next. "Yeah, Dad?" he said.

Stoick took in a breath, as if this was something he had been waiting to say for a long time and never found the right moment to say it. "Hiccup," he said, stern but not sharp, "when we first found you with Astrid, after what Viggo did...my heart stopped, I'm sure it did, at least for a moment."

Hiccup swallowed and looked down. He didn't know what to say to that.

"You would have thought," said Stoick, "I would have learned after the Red Death, but...some lessons take a long time to learn. This is the second time I've nearly lost you, Hiccup. For a moment...when we first found you, both times...I thought I had."

Stoick sighed heavily.

"And this time," said Stoick, "it might have been worse. Astrid was...she was screaming at you to wake up, almost as if you really _were_...gone. I thought for a minute, I'd lost you. That I hadn't gotten there in time to save you, just like I hadn't gotten there in time for your mother…"

"None of it was your fault," said Hiccup, shaking his head. "None of it."

"I know that," said Stoick, "but…" He sighed heavily. "You're right," he said. "You are right, Hiccup."

This next silence was _very_ uncomfortable. Hiccup didn't know what to say, and by the looks of it, neither did Stoick. Finally, Stoick cleared his throat and rose to his feet. "Well, I should leave you to rest," said Stoick. "The pain killing herbs should help you sleep."

"Right," said Hiccup, wishing there was something else he could say. Stoick ruffled his hair gently and headed towards the door. At the last minute, Hiccup called, "I love you, Dad."

Stoick paused in the doorway and looked back. "I love you too, son," he said. "So much."

And he left down the stairs. Hiccup looked down; the loose seam of the blanket became very interesting.


	5. Chapter 5

**Are we seriously already on chapter 5? o_o Am I posting this too fast? XD Nah, I'm sure you guys like all these updates. XD Shout-outs:**

 **Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: Yep. The twins and their crazy schemes that are so crazy they actually work better than the sane schemes. :D And father/son moments are amazing! I want more in Race to the Edge so bad. Even something simple would be fine to me! :D**

 **ShadowSpirit020: Awkward. XD But adorable! :D And yeah, haha, Astrid isn't going to be too thrilled with Dagur attacking...not thrilled at all. LOL! :D**

 **LunarCatNinja: Father/son bonding for the win! :D And the twins are INSANE! :D**

 **TomBoyBookGirl: Thanks! :D I'm glad so many people liked the feels. :D And yes, Hiccup's birthday! Whoooo! :D**

 **Charr2003: I LOVE FATHER/SON BONDING SO MUCH! I wish we saw more of it in the actual show, but since we haven't yet (hopefully _yet)_ I can just write it! :D And yeah, haha, I'm an updating maniac sometimes. XD **

**midnightsky0612: Awkward feels. Amazing. :D**

 **Dimensional Girl: THE FEEELSIES ARE REEEAAALSIES! :)**

 **Guest (#1): Yeah, there'll be a Hiccstrid chapter a little later on, don't worry! :D Hiccstrid is my favorite ship. ;)**

 **Prince Maggie: Thanks a bunch! :D I'm glad you're enjoying it! :D Haha, "YER A WIZARD, HICCUP. I MEAN, HARRY." LOL! :D**

 **Carly Marley: Being born on the leap day would be AWESOME! :D :D :D**

 **HappyPup1: Thank you! :D Yeah, father/son bonding is a big bowl of honey nut feelios. :D**

 **Jesyke: That is SO weird. Maybe it'll work now that I posted the fifth chapter. Let me know if it does (if you can see this chapter).**

 **Nightfall of Anime: ADORABLE! :D Yeah, and I imagine the stuff in the vial tastes pretty foul...I tried this really strong cough medicine once that tasted like cold sour cheries. It was NOT good. XD**

 **Artwing7: Haha, thanks! :D I'm glad you like my stories so much! It means a lot! :D**

 **Omegaman17: Hey! Haven't heard from you in a while! :D How's it going? :D I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! :D And yay for leap day birthdays! :D**

 **SnivyDragon: I love bonding! Yay! :D And I'm glad you like the summaries! :D Yeah, I thought you guys would enjoy reading them. :D LEAP YEAR, YEEEESSSSS. :D :D :D**

* * *

Stoick sat alone at the living room table in his and Hiccup's house, thinking. It was hard to understand Hiccup sometimes; his selflessness, his willingness to put his life on the line for someone else...of course, Stoick also felt this willingness, but he hadn't felt it when he was Hiccup's age; Hiccup was only nineteen. He shouldn't have had to worry about putting his life on the line or being selfless enough to give up his life to save that of his friend's.

And now, of course, Stoick's mind was flooding with memories of Valka, having shared even that short conversation with Hiccup. Any mention of her at all brought back so many memories; happy memories, of course, and then, the memories of how she was taken all those years ago.

The front door opened suddenly, and Gobber hobbled in. He looked from Stoick sitting at the table, and then up at the stairs leading to the loft.

"Still sleeping, is he?"

"By now, I'm sure he is," said Stoick. "He was awake for a little while, took Gothi's pain medication, but he's sleeping a lot. The trip took a lot out of him, I suppose."

"Gothi said it's entirely normal," said Gobber.

"I'm a bit worried, Gobber," said Stoick.

Gobber nodded. "I'd be worried for your sake if you weren't," he said. "You're his father, Stoick. It's as normal for you to worry as it is for Hiccup to sleep the days away."

"But Hiccup shouldn't have been in that position in the first place, Gobber," said Stoick with a heavy sigh. "He shouldn't have had to go up against Viggo like that."

"But unfortunately," said Gobber, "knowing Hiccup, he'd never trade the life he has for another one. He's an adventurous boy, Stoick, and...he's really not a boy anymore at all. There's a time in every parent's life when they have to...let go."

"Maybe so," said Stoick, "but-"

"You'll always be worried about him," said Gobber, "and you'll always be there for him. That's all that really matters, Stoick."

Stoick sighed.

…

As it turned out, Hiccup wasn't sleeping; he was simply listening. He could feel the beginning of drowsiness from the pain medication set in, but he didn't let sleep overwhelm him; he was still waiting to see if he would receive a reply airmail from his friends back at the Edge.

It took another hour of waiting, just listening to Toothless' snores, but then, finally, Sharpshot soared back through the window and landed on Hiccup's bed, a note tied to his leg.

"Thanks, Sharpshot," said Hiccup, taking the letter from the Terrible Terror, and the little dragon flew over to where Toothless was sleeping and nestled down, curling against the Night Fury's side. Toothless didn't wake up, and Hiccup, laughing silently to himself, opened the letter and read it to himself.

"' _Dear Hiccup_ ,'" he said, reading in a whisper to himself, "' _don't worry about not getting back to us sooner, the entire reason you're there and not here is so you can rest. Everyone here is doing great. Snotlout even came to training yesterday. Shocking, isn't it? We were all pretty stoked. Don't worry about getting back to us soon; just worry about getting some rest, and write us back when you can. Sincerely, Astrid. Oh, and everyone's leaning over my shoulder. They all say hello. Get some rest and don't do anything strenuous. Love you.'"_

The last part was written hastily, and Hiccup imagined Astrid trying to write it in a way so that the other riders didn't have time to read it. He smiled softly to himself. He wrote a quick response and left the note rolled up on the table with a piece of string attached to it.

"When you've rested for a while, Sharpshot," said Hiccup, and the Terrible Terror lifted his head to listen, "take this note to the Edge."

Sharpshot cooed in agreement, laid his head down again, and fell asleep once more. Hiccup tried to stay awake for a little while longer, but now, the drowsiness was more than a feeling; it was a weight threatening to drag him down, and after making sure the note was somewhere Sharpshot could find it easily, he laid down and pulled the blanket back over his shoulders.

He rolled over on his side and saw, sitting on his desk, the dragon plushie his mother had made him when he was little. Hiccup looked at it, smiled softly, and fell asleep as soon as he shut his eyes.

…

Astrid and the other riders woke up at midnight, hours before Dagur and his men were designated to arrive at the Edge. She, Snotlout, the twins, and Fishlegs peered over the side of their defensive wall, overlooking the ocean for any sign of Dagur's ships.

Tuffnut looked at Ruffnut, who was to his right, and Astrid, who was to his left. Then, he looked back at the water.

"It's very quiet," he whispered.

No one answered, either because they were ignoring him, or because they were too focused on watching for Dagur's ships that they didn't notice he had spoken at all. Tuffnut looked around again.

"It is very quiet," he whispered again. "Someone could sneak up from behind us, and we wouldn't know until it was too late…"

Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and Ruffnut, quite involuntarily, turned their heads and looked behind them. They glared at Tuffnut, who shrugged innocently.

"I said they _could_ ," he whispered. "I didn't say they _were."_

"Would you be quiet?" Snotlout whispered harshly. "We're trying to wait for Dagur's ships!"

"Oh," said Tuffnut quietly, nodding. There was a beat. "Why are we whispering?"

"Because," whispered Ruffnut, "it makes us sound more...sophisticated, I guess?"

"The less you talk," said Snotlout, "the less people will question your intelligence. Shut up."

Ruffnut and Tuffnut seemed to ponder this for a moment. And then, "What?"

She didn't receive an answer. Astrid continued looking out, ignoring the other riders, her keen eyes scanning the oceans for any sign of Dagur's ships. Behind them, Stormfly, Meatlug, Hookfang, and Barf and Belch lurked, their ears pricking at any noise; including Ruffnut and Tuffnut's constant whispering.

Astrid suddenly lifted her head. "Shh!" she whispered, and instantly, Ruffnut and Tuffnut shut their mouths. Astrid looked around. "Do you hear that?" she asked.

"Hear what?" whispered Fishlegs.

Astrid listened. "That!" she insisted. "I just heard it again!" And she rose to her feet and looked upwards at the dark sky.

She had heard what sounded like wingbeats, and after another moment, she understood why. Sharpshot soared downwards, clutching another note in his claws.

"Wow," said Fishlegs, standing. "That was quick. Did he even take a break when he landed at Berk?"

"I don't know," said Astrid, thrusting her arm out in front of her; Sharpshot alighted on her forearm, and Astrid quickly pulled the note from his grip and unrolled it with one hand.

"From Hiccup again," she said to the other riders as they gathered around. "He says, _'Thanks for the reply, Sharpshot got it back fast. Give him a fish from me, could you?'"_

"That's easy enough," said Snotlout, looking down at his arm, which was wrapped in tan gauze from his previous encounter with Sharpshot. "I'm giving him a fish anyway for not biting me this time."

"I'm betting five fish Sharpshot bites Snotlout the next time he flies in," said Tuffnut smugly.

"I second that bet, brother," said Ruffnut, raising a finger.

"I haven't finished yet!" snapped Astrid. "No talking until I'm done!" When the others quieted down, she read on, _"'I'm glad everything's going smoothly for you guys so far, and remember to let me know if anything happens. How's Eyelicker recovering? Get back to me when you can. Regards, Hiccup.'"_

Astrid paused there for a moment; there was a P.S., but she didn't read it out loud. She read it silently to herself, folded the note, and tucked it away in the pouch at her belt.

" _P.S., Love you too, Astrid."_

She would remember that forever.

But unfortunately, it was at that moment, as the sun first began to rise over the horizon, that Fishlegs shouted, "Ship! I see a ship!" and Astrid was broken from her thoughts as she crouched down again, overlooking the ocean. She took the spyglass from Fishlegs and held it up to her own eye.

Sure enough, she could see the blurry shadows of Dagur's approaching fleet. Astrid lowered the spyglass and handed it to Snotlout, who took it up to his eye in turn and handed it to Ruffnut and Tuffnut, who fought over who got to use it first.

"Dagur's ships," said Astrid, narrowing her eyes. "He's here." She looked at the riders, each in turn. "Everyone have their weapons?"

Ruffnut and Tuffnut dropped the spyglass and unsheathed their spears from their belts; Fishlegs and Snotlout held up two swords, and Astrid drew her axe.

"The defenses up?" Astrid said.

"All of them," Fishlegs said, nodding. "The Changewings are waiting out in the forests, and of course, Ruffnut and Tuffnut's boobytraps are everywhere."

Ruffnut and Tuffnut nodded eagerly, smiling as though they had lost their minds (which they probably had, a _long_ time ago).

"Alright," said Astrid, clutching her axe tighter, "let's do this."


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello awesome people who are more awesome than I! :D How's it going? Sorry I didn't update sooner...this chapter took some time to think out. :P Shout-outs! :D**

 **ShadowSpirit020: Fight fight! Win win! YAY! :D**

 **HappyPup1: BABIES! :D**

 **LunarCatNinja: Let's hope so! :D**

 **Crystallion12: Dagur ruins EVERYTHING. D: Thanks! :D Yeah, the letters...I had feels while writing those, too. XD**

 **DragonRobotkid676: There will be butt kicking soon. Soooooooooon. XD**

 **Midnight510: Seriously though, Ruffnut and Tuffnut would do great in charge of defenses. I'm surprised the riders haven't already put them in charge of it. :D And I had a lot of fun writing the letters! I'm glad so many people liked those. :D**

 **AquaticDragon: Thanks! :D Suspense...I LOVE IT! :D**

 **Jo: YAASSSS LET'S DO THIS! :D :D :D**

 **wikelia: YES! *applause***

 **Charr2003: HICCSTRID CONFESSION. MY BABIES. THEY'VE GROWN UP SO FAST. (XD :D)**

 **midnightsky0612: YES! :D**

 **Artwing7: Yeah, cliffhangers...sorry, it's just what I do! XD**

 **Dimensional Girl: So romantic. :D**

 **SnivyDragon: It's always bad when you die of anticipation instead of in the actual battle itself. XD**

 **Looona: Gotta love father/son moments. :D**

* * *

The Berserkers docked their ships and stepped off onto the sand, looking around frantically, expecting an attack. The soldiers grabbed crossbows, swords, and axes, along with spears and bolas; really, anything they could get their hands on. Dagur leapt off the ship after Savage, sniffing the air.

"Hmm," he said, scratching his chin. "Interesting. I don't think anybody's home."

Savage looked at him oddly. "What makes you say that, Sire?" he asked.

"Oh, I don't know," said Dagur, twirling his finger around his temple, "maybe the fact that _we're not being attacked senseless by all the dragon riders!"_ The last part was shouted, and Savage flinched. Dagur, growling, pointed to the men that hadn't yet left their ships. "You!" he barked. "Go to the other side of the Edge! See if you're attacked!"

The soldiers scrambled to do as they had been commanded, and after three of Dagur's fifteen ships had left, Dagur smiled cruelly and started forward.

"You know," he said, "I'll bet all the dragon riders are back on Berk right about now, maybe attending dear brother Hiccup's funeral...tell me, Savage...how long does it take to prepare for a funeral? Especially for the heir of Berk. You have to wonder, being an only child, who's taking over when Stoick passes the torch."

Savage swallowed. "I'd say the Jorgensons," he said shakily. "From what Alvin told me when I was an Outcast, they're the closest relatives of the Haddocks."

"Oh," said Dagur, and he sighed. "Shame the Haddock bloodline had to end." He shrugged carelessly. "Oh well!" he grinned, and then, frowning, pointed at some of his men. "You!" he snapped. "Head North and report back if you find anything! The rest of us, head South!"

The men nodded, and the groups split up.

…

The ten of Dagur's soldiers who had been assigned to head North walked through the forest, towards the Edge, weapons drawn and at the ready. Suddenly, one of the soldiers tripped over a rope cleverly tied between two trees, and when the rope was bumped, it triggered a large pitcher of tree sap which hung at the edge of a branch. The soldier, with a shout of alarm, was covered from head to toe in sticky tree sap.

The other soldiers turned in alarm to look at what had happened to their companion, but then, a second soldier backed into a tree, and another cleverly placed rope snapped; this time, a large net fell out of the tree above and pinned him to the ground.

The remaining eight soldiers were beginning to panic, and they, quite foolishly, turned and ran. But the instant they ran, more ropes were jogged, more traps were joggled, and a large trap door opened from beneath the eight soldiers. They fell straight to the bottom of a deep, dark pit, and upon landing, they smashed hidden clay jars full of smoke-like gas.

Within moments, the eight soldiers were unconscious, sleeping without a care in the world.

...

"Aha!" cheered Tuffnut, throwing his spyglass into the air. "They set off the trap door! Oh, I loved that boobytrap...our finest work, if I do say so myself."

"Ah, I don't know," said Ruffnut, lowering her own spyglass. "I for one liked the quick-drying tree sap formula we concocted."

"Oh, yeah," said Tuffnut dreamily. "That _was_ the best. No contest. All thanks to the ideas we got from that Death Song."

"The Death Song," Ruffnut breathed. "Now _that_ was an incredible dragon."

Barf and Belch growled.

"Well, we still like you better!" snapped Ruffnut.

"Yeah," said Tuffnut, "or else we would've traded you in a _long_ time ago."

"Good work," said Astrid, drawing her axe with her other hand on her hip. "How many soldiers down? Can you tell?"

Ruffnut took up her spyglass. "Looks like ten," she said. "Could be more, could be less...it's hard to tell from this distance."

"Well, hopefully your traps hold them off for a while," said Astrid. "We'll have time to put up some extra defenses if they do."

"It's so weird taking care of an attack without Hiccup," said Snotlout. "Maybe we _should_ get reinforcements from Berk-"

"No!" Astrid snapped, and she turned, ran, and pulled down a level jutting out from their Dome; instantly, the Dome cranked open, and Astrid ran inside, grabbing spare bottles of Monstrous Nightmare gel. "We told Hiccup we could take care of things, and that's what we're going to do!"

"But we also promised him we'd let him know if anything happened!" said Snotlout; Astrid tossed him a jar, which he caught with one hand, his sword in the other.

"Why do you want to send for help?" said Astrid, straightening up. "Are you _scared?"_

"What? No!" said Snotlout, recoiling backwards as if burned. "I'm just saying, I don't want to be on the bad end of Hiccup's fury if he ever finds out! That guy's like a walking dictionary just waiting to explode! He called me a seven syllable word last month, Astrid! A _seven syllable word!"_

"And you probably didn't even know what it meant," said Astrid. "Here. Make a trail of Monstrous Nightmare gel leading from here to the Southern beach. If you see any of Dagur's soldiers, ignite it."

"But Astrid," said Fishlegs, "if Dagur's men make it past our barricade-"

"We're just going to have to not let him make it past the barricade!" said Astrid. "It's as simple as that!"

Ruffnut and Tuffnut bounced up and down excitedly. "Oooh! Five more fell in a trap door!" said Ruffnut, beaming. "But they're coming from the South now...weird, they were coming from the North a minute ago…"

Astrid hurried over, grabbed her spyglass, and raised it to her eye. Almost as soon as she did that, she lowered it again. "They've split up," she said, raising the spyglass again and lowering it just as quickly. "And they have another ship circling around to get us from behind."

"Oh, dear!" cried Fishlegs. "What do we do now?"

"We'll build up another defensive wall around the Clubhouse," said Astrid, standing with determination. "We can defend ourselves best there. Snotlout, go ahead and finish the Monstrous Nightmare gel trail, and then, everyone, get in the Clubhouse. We have the advantage of higher ground there."

Snotlout finished dumping the remaining gel on the ground, and then, he and Hookfang turned and were the first to race into the Clubhouse. Following them closely were Fishlegs and Meatlug. The twins, Barf and Belch didn't move.

"Guys!" Astrid said. "In, Clubhouse, _now!"_

"Hang on!" said Ruffnut, holding up a finger. "I think they found our mother trap!"

" _NOW!"_

Ruffnut and Tuffnut moaned in disappointment, but didn't argue otherwise. They and their dragon raced into the Clubhouse, leaving Astrid outside with Stormfly.

"Shut the doors!" Astrid called over her shoulder. "And don't make a sound! I'm going to stay watch and make sure nothing goes wrong with our barricades!"

"Okay," Fishlegs called back, his voice wavering, "but be careful, Astrid!"

Astrid nodded. She would be careful. She raised her spyglass to her eye and looked back into the forest. She could see smoke rising from where some of Ruffnut and Tuffnut's more diabolical traps had been triggered.

…

Dagur wasn't sure how many men he had lost to all these weird spring-traps that came out of nowhere - half of them had disappeared in deep trap doors while others were stuck to trees with thick, amber-like tree sap. He himself had managed to dodge all of it, with Savage and a few of his other men alone, but the majority of his men had gotten themselves caught in the amber.

Savage examined the amber trapping one of the soldiers and straightened up. "The amber should break apart within the hour, Sire," he said.

"That's fine," said Dagur, examining the blade of his axe. "After all, it's not like any of my brother's dragon riders are going to be waiting around here, is it? Without Hiccup, where would they find their motivation to keep going?"

And they continued on with the remaining men, doing their best to dodge any traps that stood in their way.

…

Hiccup was whittling.

After his wrist became sore from incessant drawing and sketching, he had taken his dagger, had Toothless fetch him a small block of firewood from downstairs, and took to carving.

He had barely put a dent in the block when his father came up the stairs, helmet on his head as if he had recently returned from an outing, or was about to embark on one.

"Dad," Hiccup said in brief greeting.

"Hiccup," said Stoick, and he nodded to the wood. "What are you doing?"

"Oh...nothing," said Hiccup. "I'm just bored more than anything. You sure Toothless and I can't just take one lap around-"

The look on his father's face said it all. "I told you," said Stoick with a heavy sigh, "no flying, Hiccup. You know what Gothi said."

"Yeah, of course I do," said Hiccup. "I have it memorized by now. Everyone's been telling me over and over, 'Don't do anything strenuous, Hiccup,' 'Stay off your feet, Hiccup', 'Oh, I mean, foot, Hiccup.'"

"Hiccup…"

Hiccup ended his rant with a heavy sigh. He pulled his legs against his chest and rested his chin on his knees, studying the blade of the dagger as if it had suddenly become very interesting.

"I haven't gotten a reply from the Edge yet," said Hiccup lowly, flicking a shaving of wood off his prosthetic.

"Ah," said Stoick, nodding. "So that's what's gotten you in a mood."

"I'm not in a mood!" Hiccup said. Toothless snorted, to which Hiccup sighed. "Okay, maybe I am. You don't think something's happened, do you? At the Edge?"

"It's been two weeks since Ryker and Dagur's last attacks, son," said Stoick calmly. "Armies need time to regroup, and a little more time than just two weeks."

"I know that," said Hiccup, "but...I don't know. Something feels wrong. I always told Astrid in the letters that she didn't have to worry about getting back to me soon, but...I don't know. Something just feels wrong."

"Feelings can be deceiving, Hiccup."

"And what if they're not?" Hiccup asked.

"I'm sure if your friends were in danger they'd let us know," said Stoick. "They're an odd bunch, I'll give them that, but they would let us know if they were put up against something they couldn't handle. I'm sure you have nothing to worry about."

Hiccup sighed. "Wish I could be that sure," he muttered.


	7. Chapter 7

***loud, obnoxious voice***

 ***deep inhale***

 **HHHHEEEEEELLLLLOOOOOOOOOO! :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D I LOVE YOU ALL! :D Shout-outs:**

 **Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: The twins are totally awesome with their traps. They're really underestimated characters sometimes. XD**

 **ShadowSpirit020: They be fightin'! :D Go team! :D**

 **LunarCatNinja: Yeah, I can't imagine Hiccup would be very happy if he ever found out. :D**

 **HappyPup1: Totally awesome, though. XD**

 **TomBoyBookGirl: Haha, thanks! :D**

 **AquaticDragon: Well, I'm glad. :D Thanks a bunch! :D**

 **Artwing7: Hiccup really _is_ a walking dictionary. :D Aww, sorry you're sick. That's never fun. Hope you get better soon! :D **

**SnivyDragon: Yep, it's never good when Hiccup starts getting suspicious. :D The twins are such underestimated characters sometimes. I like using them a lot in my stories, emphasizing their strengths (A.K.A. boobytrapping everything in sight XD), and so on. :D**

 **1 Fan: CLIFFHANGER! :D**

 **Dimensional Girl: GO RUFFNUT AND TUFFNUT! TEAM THORSTON! :D :D :D**

* * *

Dagur had to admit, whatever the dragon riders did to the Edge, they did it _good_. By the time he finally cleared the forest, he only had a few men behind him. He considered regrouping, but that would take too long, and Dagur wasn't a man known for his patience; he had waited too long for this moment already. He wasn't going to waste any more time.

So on he went. Savage had been lost in a trap of amber, but that was alright with Dagur; Savage was, in his opinion, a bit too sane for his likings. He didn't know how to _dream_ , like Dagur did.

So Dagur and his five soldiers continued, having cleared the forest, much to Dagur's relief.

"Phew," he said once they had cleared, wiping his forehead with the hand that wasn't holding his axe. "Glad that's over."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, acid shot from nowhere and sank into the trunk of a nearby tree. With a sizzle, the acid melted the bark and the trunk, and with a creak, the tree tipped over. Dagur and his soldiers dodged out of the way to avoid getting crushed.

A nearby tree shimmered - that's right, _shimmered_ \- and seven Changewings appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Dagur's shoulders slumped, his previous feeling of triumph deflating.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," he said.

…

Astrid raced through the doors of the Clubhouse, holding her axe in one hand and a spyglass in the other. "Dagur's ships are approaching from the South," she said instantly. "The Changewings are facing Dagur right now, but they can't hold him off forever."

"Were you able to tell how many men he had left, Astrid?" said Fishlegs.

"I wasn't," said Astrid, "but it can't be a very big number. When the amber crumbles on your traps, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, we'll be in trouble. We need to find some way to scare them off."

"I have an idea!" said Tuffnut.

"Then we should probably take your idea," said Snotlout simply, "and do the opposite."

Tuffnut raised his finger and opened his mouth; a second later, he dropped his hand and clicked his teeth shut.

"What we should do," said Astrid, "is take out the ships approaching from the South with the dragons. If some of his ships are out of the way, maybe some of his men will retreat while they still can."

"They didn't bring many men with them," said Fishlegs, "which is odd for Dagur. Usually when he attacks, he goes all out with his entire armada. I wonder why this time's different."

"Hey," said Ruffnut, "maybe it's because he thinks Hiccup is dead. Maybe that's why he's not trying as hard as normal."

"That," said Snotlout, "is ridiculous."

"Actually," said Astrid, "that's _genius_."

"Yeah!" said Ruffnut, throwing her hands in the air. "Wait! What did I do?"

"Dagur thinks Hiccup is dead," said Astrid, "which means that Dagur either thinks we're on Berk at his funeral, or we've lost all motivation for being out here in the first place."

"Which means," said Fishlegs, "if we attack them head-on…"

"We'll have the element of surprise on our side," said Astrid, grinning. "Dragons, everyone! We run out Dagur today!"

"YES!" cheered the twins.

...

Four dragons soared through the sky over the Southern part of the Edge, searching for Dagur's ships. Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, and the twins, weapons drawn and at the ready, scanned the ocean with their eyes, until finally…

"There!" said Fishlegs, pointing downwards. "Three ships, right up ahead!"

"Great!" said Astrid. "Sink them when they get to the shore! We want them to be able to get back to their other ships and retreat!"

Waiting was boring, but when the time finally did come for them to launch their plan into action, they were ready and raring to go. "Ruffnut and Tuffnut!" Astrid shouted, pointing downwards, "you two take the ship on the left! Snotlout and Fishlegs, take the ship on the right! Stormfly and I will start on the center ship!"

"Way ahead of you, Astrid!" said Ruffnut, saluting, and the dragons soared downwards, towards the ships, just as they grazed the sandy shore of Dragon's Edge.

"Hello, Dagur's soldiers!" said Tuffnut cheerily. "How nice of you to join us!" Barf spewed explosive gas all around the left ship, and while the soldiers were still wondering what in Thor's name was happening, Belch ignited it. With a large _BANG!_ and a fiery explosion, the entire ship collapsed in on itself.

"Yeaha!" cheered Ruffnut. "Dragon riders one, Dagur zero!"

Fishlegs and Snotlout took the ship on the right, their dragons more than ready to take out the second ship. Hookfang soared above it and, when the soldiers were distracted, Meatlug went in from below, blasting bouts of lava in the ship's sides. When the soldiers took their attention off Hookfang and onto Meatlug, Hookfang swooped down and lit the mast and sail of the ship on fire. The soldiers, shouting and screaming, leapt off the side of the ship and into the water.

"Yes!" said Snotlout. "Snotlout, Snotlout, oy, oy, oy!"

"We're winning!" said Fishlegs.

Astrid and Stormfly, with the other riders swooping in to help, took care of the last ship. "Stormfly, spine shot!" Astrid commanded, and Stormfly flicked her tail. The Nadder's long spines shot through the air and sliced through the sail of the ship, tearing it to shreds.

Meanwhile, the twins circled the ship with Zippleback gas and ignited it; Meatlug and Hookfang shot fire and lava from above, shooting holes through the ship. When the last of the soldiers abandoned it, Astrid watched as they raced, heading towards the forest - towards their leader, no doubt, to tell him that there were dragon riders on the Edge after all.

"Follow them!" said Astrid, pointing. "Make them retreat!"

"On it!" said Snotlout. "Come on, guys!"

And they (for once) followed Snotlout towards the forest, heading straight for Dagur and his men.

…

"Take them out!" snapped Dagur from where he was crouched behind a tree; his five men, plus a few extra ones who had climbed out of pits and broken free from the amber, were crouched likewise behind trees of their own. "Shoot them! I don't care how, just shoot them!"

"We can't shoot what we can't see, Sir!" shouted a soldier helplessly; from nowhere came acid, and the soldier, shrieking, leapt away. The acid sank into the trunk of the tree, and the tree tipped over; another soldier dodged to avoid it.

"URGH!" Dagur groaned in fury. "You're _useless!"_

Dagur raised his own crossbow and waited for the right moment. He watched the trees carefully, looking for any sign of the Changewings…

There! A tiny shimmer against the tree, and Dagur narrowed his eyes. He fastened a bolt in his crossbow, aimed, put his finger on the trigger…

"DAGUR!"

...and stopped when the shouts of his men spooked the Changewing and made it scramble off, disappearing into the forest. Dagur screamed in fury, about ready to release the crossbow on his own men, when what they were saying reached his ears.

"Dragon...riders...coming...this...way!" they panted, clearly out of breath.

"WHAT!?" Dagur demanded. "Stop spluttering!"

"DRAGON RIDERS!" the soldier shouted, pointing up in the sky.

Dagur barely had a chance to look before Astrid and the others launched their attack. Fireballs came out from nowhere, and Dagur and his soldiers were forced to take shelter (again, curses!).

"Give up, Dagur!" Astrid taunted from above. "You've lost!"

Dagur leapt out from his hiding place and looked up; four black specks that indicated the four dragons of the five riders glared back at him. "I haven't lost!" said Dagur, raising his crossbow, but the riders were nowhere near firing range, which made his threat empty.

"Leave, now!" snapped Astrid angrily. "Or we'll be forced to drive you out ourselves!"

Dagur glared at them, and Astrid swooped Stormfly lower, just low enough to meet Dagur's eyes. They glared coldly at each other...but suddenly, Dagur grinned.

"What are you doing here, Miss Astrid?" he said, lowering his crossbow coolly. "I thought you'd be back on Berk, crying over poor Hiccup's dead body."

Astrid narrowed her eyes. Then, she soared downwards, axe raised and at the ready. Before Dagur even had the chance to react, Astrid leapt off Stormfly's back and tackled him to the ground, knocking the crossbow from his grip and aiming her axe directly at his throat.

"Don't," she snarled, "you _ever_ , talk about Hiccup lightly again."

Dagur put up his hands. "Hey, Viggo killed him, not me," he said.

Astrid's glare hardened. "Leave now," she growled, "or we will attack. And you'll regret it."

She stood up and stepped back, mounted Stormfly, and took to the sky again before Dagur's soldiers could shoot them down with a crossbow.

Dagur glared at her coldly, but he didn't protest a second time. He turned and, motioning to his soldiers (who had, by now, gotten themselves out of Ruffnut and Tuffnut's traps), raced back to their ships.

The dragon riders watched them leave, smiling to themselves, and when the ships were out of sight, Ruffnut and Tuffnut let out an almost inhuman screech of victory.

"WE DID IT!" shouted Ruffnut, throwing her hands above her head. "WE MADE HIM RUN! DID YOU SEE HIM RUNNING!?"

"THAT WAS AMAZING," said Tuffnut. "I WILL REMEMBER THIS MOMENT FOREVER!"

"The day we defeated Dagur," said Snotlout, " _without_ Hiccup. A memorable day this is. I can't wait to rub it in Hiccup's face…" He stopped suddenly. "Oh, wait, that's right...we won't be able to, because Hiccup will never know about this!"

"What a shame!" said Tuffnut. "I would have loved to tell him all about how Dagur ran away like a baby!"

"Most babies can't run," said Fishlegs, "but I think I know what you mean."

"Hiccup doesn't have to know about everything," said Astrid. "I think this is one of the things he doesn't have to know about."

"But still!" said Tuffnut. "We should celebrate this victory ourselves! We're victors! We deserve it!"

"I'm not going to deny it," said Astrid. "But first, we should clean up a bit. If Hiccup returns to see the forest like _this_ …" She gestured down to the piles of crumbled amber and Changewing acid burns on the ground.

"Ah," said Fishlegs. "Yes. That's probably a good idea."

…

Hiccup rested the side of his head against his knees, which were drawn against his chest with his arms wrapped around his legs - this was a very common position for him nowadays, because laying down was down-right boring, and his father wouldn't let him leave the house (despite Hiccup's many protests). Hiccup looked towards the window, sighed heavily, and dropped his head back down.

As soon as he looked away, his head snapped up again when he heard a sound - wingbeats. He raised his head higher and looked at the window; five Terrible Terrors flew through it, each carrying a small piece of rolled parchment in their claws.

Toothless perked up and watched them, head tilted to the side. The Terrible Terrors dropped the pieces of parchment on the desk and then flew to the corner of the room where Toothless was, dropping to the ground in front of him and studying him curiously.

Hiccup, meanwhile, grabbed the nearest parchment excitedly, opened it, and read it to himself.

 _Earth to Hiccup,_

 _How's it going back on Berk? Boring without us wreaking havoc? I'm sure it is! But anyways, we miss you and we hope you recover fast!_

 _I-don't-know-how-to-spell-sincerely_ (the word _was_ horribly spelled), _Ruffnut._

Hiccup couldn't help but smile at the note. He set it aside and took up the next one.

 _Hiccup,_

 _You've only been gone a few days and everyone's missing you. You have no idea how weird it feels without you. In answer to your last letter, Eyelicker's wing is healing great! In a few weeks, he should be able to return to Changewing island with the rest of his pack!_

 _Airmail us back when you can (remember, don't do anything strenuous),_

 _Fishlegs._

And the next one;

 _Hey, cuz! Long time no talk! I was going to let Astrid send one letter from all of us, but then she said that would be "lazy" on my part, so that's why I'm here. Anyways, I'm trying to be (a little) tolerable, but I think I'm failing. Astrid keeps face palming. She's starting to act like you. I CAN'T TAKE TWO HICCUPS. GET BETTER SOON BEFORE ASTRID TAKES YOUR PLACE AS PRINCESS OUTPOST, PRINCESS!_

 _Snotlout_

To which Hiccup rolled his eyes, but he still appreciated his cousin taking the time to write him. He took up the second to last parchment and read it.

 _Hi. (I don't know how to spell anything else)._

 _Tuffnut_

Hiccup laughed out loud at that. He took the last letter and unrolled it; it was much longer than the last few.

 _Hiccup,_

 _Sorry it took us so long to get back to you. Everything's been kind of hectic here. I'm never taking for granted again how well you can control the twins. I hope we never have to do something like this again._

 _Anyways, Eyelicker's doing great. A bit restless, eager to get up and start doing things again (probably how I imagine you are right about now, huh?). The rest of his pack is doing great, too. They're all looking out for Eyelicker still, of course._

 _It's boring without you. Really, it is. I found one of our old Dragon Eye lenses in the Clubhouse yesterday while straightening up, but it's useless without the Dragon Eye. It was kind of funny to watch the twins try and use it for a frisbee, and then Fishlegs' reaction to that. Let's just say, he was less than pleased._

 _We all miss you. It's not the same without you, Dragon Boy. But we're glad you're home and resting; you need some time to yourself every once in awhile._

 _Well, take care of yourself, Hiccup. Write back whenever you can._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Astrid._

And Hiccup spent the rest of the afternoon sending reply letters to each of them.


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8! THE FINAL CHAPTER IS OUT, GUYS! I LOVE YOU ALL! :D**

 **So unfortunately my email is out (drat!) again, so I'm not going to be able to do shout-outs (which makes me really sad because I love you guys and I want to thank you all for the amazing reviews you left me and everything because AWW YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST), but since I can't do individual shout-outs, I'm going to do one for everyone:**

 **YOU ARE BRILLIANT, AMAZING PEOPLE. I LOVE YOU ALL. :D ENJOY THE FINAL CHAPTER! FINAL AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE! :D ENJOY! :D**

* * *

It was noon, three weeks later, when Ruffnut barged into Astrid's hut late in the afternoon, making Astrid jump and nearly cut her finger on the axe she had been sharpening.

"HE'S BACK," Ruffnut shouted excitedly, panting from what sounded like a long run over. "He's back, we just saw him fly in!"

Astrid didn't need to ask for clarification on who this "he" was. She sprang from her seat, dropping her flint and her axe, and raced outside after Ruffnut.

As soon as Astrid stepped outside, she heard a long, _"Whoooooo!"_ followed by a blur of black soaring through the clear, blue sky. Astrid smiled widely and raised a hand. Hiccup waved back at her.

Fishlegs, Snotlout, and Tuffnut joined them on the platform in front of the Clubhouse, just as Hiccup landed Toothless and dismounted. For once, he didn't wince.

"Hey, guys!" Hiccup said cheerily.

Astrid didn't actually think about what she was doing. She raced forward and threw her arms around his neck, embracing him tightly. Hiccup hugged her back equally tight, and for the longest moment, neither of them let go.

And then, before either of them were ready, they broke the embrace and smiled, hands on each other's shoulders.

"Miss me?" said Hiccup, grinning in that goofy way of his, and Astrid smiled back.

"You don't even know," said Astrid, happily. She looked at Toothless, and then back at Hiccup. "Did you fly all the way here?"

"Yep!" said Hiccup. "We headed out yesterday morning and flew straight through the night! You have no idea how good it felt to be back in the air."

"I'm sure!" piped in Fishlegs. "Especially after three weeks of bed rest."

"More like _house ar_ rest," said Hiccup. "My dad wouldn't let me so much as step outside for the first week. He probably wouldn't have let me out at all if Gothi hadn't said fresh air would do me good."

Toothless had run across the platform to greet Meatlug, Hookfang, Stormfly and Barf and Belch.

"And Toothless is pretty happy to be out, too," said Hiccup.

Toothless growled in agreement.

…

"So, tell me," said Hiccup when he and the others sat at the round table in the Clubhouse, the dragons sleeping in one corner with Eyelicker and his pack sleeping in the other. "What did you guys do while I was gone? Anything interesting happen?"

"Not really," said Astrid. "The twins used tree sap to glue themselves to the backs of their boars, which didn't end very well…"

"No," said Ruffnut, "but it was fun while it lasted!"

"What about you?" said Astrid. "Anything interesting on Berk?"

"Nothing to report," said Hiccup breezily. "My dad's renewing a peace treaty with the Outcasts next month, but that's it. Oh, and I finished the designs for Inferno."

"Inferno?" said Snotlout, frowning. "What in Thor's name is that?"

"Oh, just a little something I was working on," said Hiccup, shrugging.

"Normally when you say 'little something'," said Tuffnut in his trademark "let's-be-logical" tone, raising his finger, "it is the exact opposite of a 'little something'."

"Well," said Hiccup, shrugging again, "it was either I work on that, or I die of boredom."

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad," said Fishlegs.

"Thirty nine," said Hiccup unexpectedly.

"What?"

"That's how many knots I counted in my ceiling," said Hiccup. "Thirty nine."

"Okay," said Fishlegs, "so maybe it's worse than I thought it was."

"But totally worth it," said Hiccup. "Gothi took the stitches out last week. Doesn't hurt anymore at all. Crazy looking scar, by the way. It's all jagged and uneven."

Astrid swallowed, grabbed her cup off the table, and took a large gulp of water. Hiccup looked at her oddly.

"I thought you liked scars," he said. "You know, _it's only fun if you get a scar out of it_."

Astrid choked on her water momentarily. "I said that," she said, slamming her cup back down on the table, "four years ago. How in the name of Thor did you remember it?"

"It's the little things you remember," said Hiccup, shrugging. "Like how many knots you have in your ceiling. I'm sure I'll remember that for a _long_ time. I have a mental image of my ceiling engraved in my mind from staring up at it for three weeks..."

"Well, it's better than having the mental image of Ruffnut and Tuffnut stuck to the backs of boars," said Astrid.

"Come on," said Hiccup. "You can't tell me you didn't get a good laugh out of that."

"Oh, we did," said Fishlegs. "I think Snotlout stopped breathing for a while he was laughing so hard."

"Well, I would have liked to see that," said Hiccup, smiling. "Sounds like you guys had a better three weeks than I did."

Astrid smiled and nodded, sharing a knowing look with Snotlout, the twins, and Fishlegs without Hiccup noticing. If only Hiccup knew...

…

Later that night found Astrid laying on her back with her hands behind her head on a grassy hill, staring up at the billions of stars that resided in the clear black sky. Stormfly, with the other riders, was back at the Clubhouse; Astrid had walked to the highest point of the Edge on her own, by herself, to think.

She wasn't by herself for very long.

"Mind if I join you?"

Astrid turned her head; Hiccup had approached from behind, and she hadn't even noticed until he spoke. He, like her, seemed to have walked all the way here, as Toothless was nowhere to be seen.

"Why not?" said Astrid, and Hiccup laid back on the grass beside her, staring up at the sky.

For a while, neither of them said anything.

"I thought you and Toothless would be taking a night flight about this time," said Astrid.

"I thought about it," said Hiccup, "but Toothless was tired from the flight here. We flew all night yesterday, remember?"

"Oh, right," said Astrid, having completely forgotten. There was a beat. "I'm glad you're back, Hiccup."

"It's good to be back," said Hiccup. "I missed you guys. It was kind of weird, you know. Really quiet. I never thought I wouldn't enjoy peace."

"We're dragon riders," said Astrid. "Danger is what we do."

"Adventure is what we live for," said Hiccup, nodding. "Right. And the night skies out here are pretty stellar, too, without the torches back on Berk smoking up the air."

"Yeah," said Astrid. "It's...it's pretty amazing." She looked up at the stars, silently trying to count them. "How many do you think there are?"

Hiccup looked up at the sky and squinted. "Well…" he said. "Um...well...all I can say is, counting knots in the ceiling is a lot easier than counting stars."

"Well, you only have thirty nine knots in your ceiling," said Astrid.

"Aha!" Hiccup sat up suddenly, and Astrid did the same behind him. "You remember the number of knots! I _told_ you it's the small things you remember!"

" _Sure,"_ said Astrid, falling back against the grass again.

Hiccup laid back beside her again. "But you _did_ remember it," he insisted.

They fell into comfortable silence for a while, and then, Hiccup sat up again. "I was meaning to give you this, Astrid," said Hiccup, and Astrid sat up again, suddenly interested.

"What?" she said.

Hiccup reached into his pocket and pulled out something Astrid couldn't see. Hiccup then held it up and out to her, and the light of the full moon allowed for Astrid to see what it was.

It was a necklace, the charm attached to a long, silver chain. The charm itself was unlike anything Astrid had ever seen before. It looked like an hourglass, but instead of encasing the sands of time, it encased a caramel golden piece of amber shaped into a diamond.

Astrid gaped at it. "Where did you…?"

"I made it," said Hiccup. "Three weeks, you know, it's a lot of time...I've never whittled before, so the enclosure might be a little rough on the edges, but…"

"It's beautiful," said Astrid. "But, Hiccup, I can't accept it-"

"Yes you will," said Hiccup. "You most certainly will. Because it's more than a necklace, Astrid." He held it out to her, and when she bowed her head, he strung it around her neck and fastened it. "It's a promise," he said.

Astrid looked down at the necklace, and then back up at him. "A promise?"

"From me to you," said Hiccup. "Three weeks gave me a lot of time to think. Getting stabbed like that...it was...well...it made me realize how many things I wanted to say, that I haven't said yet."

"Yeah," said Astrid. "Me too."

She paused, waiting, contemplating. If ever there was a good time to say it, it was now.

"I love you," she said, and then paused, because she hadn't been the only one to say it - Hiccup had said at the same time she did. They stared at each other for the longest time.

"Okay," Hiccup said.

"Okay…" said Astrid.

"Right…"

"Yeah…"

"Feelings."

"Feelings."

There was a beat.

"What now?" they said, both at the same time. "What?" they said in unison again.

Hiccup shook his head, smiling faintly. "So anyways," he said, "the necklace is my promise to you that I'll always be here for you. If you need someone to talk to, or whatever…you don't have to wear it," he added quickly. "I know you're probably not into wearing necklaces-"

"Not usually," said Astrid, "but I'm going to wear this one all the time." She paused. "I don't have anything to give you in return," she said, "but I promise I'll always be there for you, too."

He smiled at her, and she smiled back at him. They turned their gaze towards the sky again, towards the stars.

"You know," said Hiccup, "I think this is the first time something romantic has happened, and you haven't punched me."

"You _remember that, too?"_

"I think I still have a bruise on my shoulder, actually."

"We were _fifteen,_ Hiccup! That was years ago!"

"It's the little things!"

She raised her fist and punched him on the shoulder. Hiccup yelped, "OW!" and she smirked at him.

"Is that better?" she said.

"Come on, Astrid, we were having a moment!" Hiccup moaned, rubbing his offended shoulder. "Let's just say, you've gotten stronger since we were fifteen! _For Thor's sake!"_

Astrid rolled her eyes, leaned over, and kissed him quickly. "Only you, Hiccup," she said.

"Well, I can't get mad at you _now_ ," said Hiccup, finally lowering his hand from his shoulder. "Honestly though, Astrid. In all seriousness. I...I do love you."

"And I love you too, Dragon Boy," said Astrid.

He smiled at her, and she smiled back.

And if they sat there together for hours to come, watching the stars in the sky, picking out the constellations, holding hands all the while, well...the other riders didn't need to know that.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **And that's the end, guys! I know, for once I didn't end the story with Ryker or Dagur planning something diabolical. I wanted to end this one with Hiccup and Astrid feels, so of course that's exactly what I did.**

 **Hiccstrid is my favorite ship, if you guys couldn't already tell that. XD Well, I hope you all liked this! Remember: you can read the next episode summary ("The Trainer and the Hunter") on my profile, if you guys want (along with most of the other episode summaries). Let me know what you think, and I'll see you all next story! :D**

 **Oh, and along with the summaries, I posted one release date: "The Trainer and the Hunter" will be posted on** _ **MARCH 20th **_**(** **yeah I'm being all official now with release dates and everything, LOL! :D). Sorry for the wait on that one! I'm going to try and get ahead of myself to get out chapters faster (WHOO! :D).**

 **Let me know what you think about all...this (XD) and I'll see you all soon! :D Love ya! :D**

 **Cheers! :D**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


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